Dogs. They have their own set of rules. They play together and show off by bringing you a toy and throwing it around like prey.
If you’re like me, I let them jump up and down when I come home even though the trainer said not to allow it. Something about manners, I guess.
We now have a new little one named Olive. We were really lucky to get her last January.
She has a huge personality and all sorts of tricks and games going on all the time, at least until she poops out for a nap. She’ll be 3 this month but I’m not expecting her to calm down any time soon.
Of course she’s a rescue and when we saw her online, we fell madly in love. Since losing our two Shih Tzu loves, we were looking for the beautiful, calm demeanor of another one or two. And there she was!
All adorable and sweet and innocent smiling into the camera and ready to steal our hearts. She did exactly that but somewhere in that little head of hers is mischief, sneakiness, a bark alert system and the climbing instincts of a monkey.
When we did her DNA, she came back with 8% Chihuahua but no monkey. That puts her in the distant terrier family and she goes from endless zoomies, killing her toys, stealing his shoes and climbing to the highest point on the furniture to laying exhausted alongside me sleeping like a ferret.
And, of course, when she’s in playtime mode with our 73-pound Golden, she climbs up on me and launches herself straight off and they play with no regard for the 50 pound difference. Her head fits inside our Golden’s mouth but no one bites.
I talk about her because she reminds us every day how purity and innocence is such a natural state for dogs. They sleep cuddled up touching you and at playtime they include us in the fun even if we’re just props in their world.
We all need reminders these days.
